tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901604627843646042018-05-29T18:14:58.767+12:00Writing about WritingExploring screenwriting and what it means to me.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-33387245446390896002011-06-06T19:38:00.002+12:002011-06-06T19:44:02.282+12:00What have you learned about screenwriting lately?So, tomorrow night is the Wellington Writers Group meeting. I've passed on the role of co-ordinator of the group, but I have set the discussion topic for tomorrow night, which is: <br /><br />“What have you learned about screenwriting lately?"<br /><br />Short answer: a lot (I think).<br /><br />I recently submitted an hour-long pilot episode into a NZWG screenwriting contest. For me, the simple act of completing this script in a straightforward manner within the set deadline was an accomplishment and a joy. <br /><br />What I learnt about screenwriting from completing this:<br /><br />I went into the writing process with three principles in descending order of importance. These three principles worked very well for me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Principle #1: Deal with my emotions about writing as I go.</span><br /><br />I have issues. Man, do I have issues. And I’ve found that feeling those issues while I’m writing doesn’t really help me write. It’s more likely to make me want to go hide in a dark cupboard.<br /><br />However, if I face up to my emotions throughout the writing process, I’ve found that I can explore and address the negative feelings as I go. Then, once they’ve died down a bit, I can get on with the actual process of writing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Principle #2: Feel positive about the direction I’m heading in.</span><br /><br />What should I do when I realise I’m not happy with the script I’m working on? <br /><br />People tell me: you should just keep writing a script to the end – you’ll learn things through the writing. Hmm, well maybe. But should I really spend weeks of my life writing something I don’t believe in when I know I need to rewrite it? Particularly if I have a deadline?<br /><br />My way through this is to check in with myself about the script as I’m writing it. Outlines and other ‘higher-level’ documents can be great for this. The question is: am I feeling happy with where this is going? If not, what can I adjust about the script from here on in? I can come in and mop up the old stuff later.<br /><br />Note I do not ask myself: is this script perfect? Because it won’t be. And that question can be a terrible trap of procrastination for us perfectionists.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Principle #3: Keep working solidly within the timeframes I’ve laid out</span><br /><br />I stuck to my deadlines on this project. I worked solidly and didn’t procrastinate too much. That way I had time to deal with the problems that inevitably emerged.<br /><br />Outside of these principles, I also learned how important it is for me to have an outside voice to provide feedback on a project: a reflector. I need someone to provide an independent mirror to my project, to give me that perspective that I just can’t see. I had two reflectors on this project, hix and Lyse. Thanks to them both.<br /><br />Giving myself a fair bit of time is good. I do work well under pressure; but I work even better under pressure with enough time to turn out something good. And allowing some time to reflect between different iterations of a project; that’s important too.<br /><br /><br />How about you? What have you learnt about writing recently?Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-12666020235662169382010-11-22T20:01:00.003+13:002010-11-22T20:11:32.038+13:00Lots of things a good writer needsPicking up from my last post, I asked my writing group to come up with the things a good writer needs. Thanks to Jackie, Malcolm, Warren, Steven, Jade, Steve, Ben, and Matt for the suggestions below (hope I haven't forgotten anyone!)<br /><br />In no particular order, a good writer needs:<br /><br />Mentor(s)<br />Objectivity<br />A desire for continuous improvement<br />An audience<br />Rewards<br />Something to write on<br />Judgement<br />Professionalism<br />Resilience<br />The ability to adapt<br />Luck<br />Joy in Writing<br />Basic composition skills<br />Talent<br />Craftsmanship<br />Practice<br />Passion<br />Drive<br />Obsession/Inner necessity<br />Self-belief<br />Chutzpah<br />Honest and reliable feedback<br />An ability to listen to feedback<br />A comfortable emotional state for their writing<br />Lots of ideas<br />Open-mindedness<br />Access to the industry<br />Social skills<br />Routine/discipline<br />The ability to know when to quit.<br /><br />Anything we missed out?Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-82791546764317711652010-11-01T19:27:00.002+13:002010-11-01T19:47:08.675+13:00Three things a good writer needsIt's writers group time again. The topic for tomorrow night's meeting is:<br /><br />"What are three things you think a good screenwriter needs?"<br /><br />A deliberately broad topic that allows people to take it as seriously or as lightly as they like. What I'm hoping is to get a wide spectrum of ideas by asking people not to repeat the previous ideas if possible. So if we get 10 people along to the meeting, we might even get 30 ideas.<br /><br />I'll start it off with these three things that I think a good screenwriter needs:<br /><br />1) Joy in what they're doing.<br /><br />The first point I thought of was 'perseverance' (which was funnily enough the first response from someone else attending tomorrow's meeting). <br /><br />Thinking about it further though, I revised this point to a writer's joy in the act of writing. I totally think a writer needs perseverance in order to stick out writing long enough to become a good writer. But I think enjoying what you're doing will help you stick with it and give you resilience for the bad times. And hey, if you're not enjoying something, you've got to really ask why you're doing it in the first place...<br /><br />2) An audience<br /><br />The audience doesn't need to be big, but I think every writer needs someone. Someone needs to read and appreciate your work. Sometimes I'm my only audience for a project, but even then, I'm acting the role of the audience!<br /><br />3) A life<br /><br />After all, what else is there to write about?<br /><br />I've got quite a few other points, but I want to keep it to three for now. I'll be interested to hear what people bring up at the meeting, and I'll aim to post a list of them here on the blog.<br /><br />How about you? What are your three points? No repeating!Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-1682962627683128202010-05-31T21:09:00.003+12:002010-05-31T21:41:40.243+12:00Who do I base my characters on?So, writers group tomorrow night. The topic for this meeting (suggested by my lovely wife - thanks hon!) is: <br /><br />"Who do you base your characters on?"<br /><br />A deliberately provocative question I know, because maybe you don't base your characters on anyone. Well that's fine, but I sure do. <br /><br />I've figured out four different approaches that I take to creating characters.<br /><br />1. I base them on other people<br /><br />I find other people to be an interesting and ready source of character traits and motivations. They're everywhere! The plus side of this approach is that I'll never run out of characters. <br /><br />The down sides are that I tend to feel guilty about 'stealing' from real people; or otherwise I feel afraid of offending friends/acquaintances/enemies when they realise that a character is based on them. The latter issue is not something I should worry about too much... I know that <a href="http://multi-dimensional.blogspot.com/p/about.html">Hix</a> based characters in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246685/">Hopeless</a> on some mutual friends, but I co-wrote the script with him and even I didn't realise that. And those people who did see themselves in the characters in Hopeless tended to be wrong. People are complex, so really as a writer you're unlikely to nail anyone so neatly and completely as to cause a blow.<br /><br />2. I base them on me<br /><br />In some ways, I know myself better than I know anyone else. And taking my own concerns and injecting them into characters is a good way to ensure that I'll be interested in them, even if no one else is. It gives the characters and the script a bit more dynamism if they're working out my issues. So the plus side of this approach is that it's personal. The down side is that it's personal.<br /><br />3. I base them on other characters<br /><br />Ideas are often not as fresh as they first seem, and characters can suffer from this problem along with other ideas. I often find that my first iterations of a character are not that original, and that I've probably snatched the idea of the character from some other story. So the plus side of this approach is that it's easy. The down side is it's lazy.<br /><br />4. A mixture of all of the above.<br /><br />This is actually what I do in reality, until I can't remember where the character came from. Once you fall in love with them, it doesn't matter anymore. That's when they feel real and as if they didn't come out of you at all!Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-22968160418785842012010-05-03T22:20:00.001+12:002010-05-03T23:11:23.725+12:00Why do I write for film?<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/HELEN%26%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --></style>I co-ordinate a Wellington writers group, and tomorrow night the topic is:
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<br />"Why have you decided to be a screenwriter/playwright/whatever you are? What makes that particular medium special to you?"
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<br />Why this topic? Well, longer time readers of this blog will know that I am narcissistically fascinated in my own desire to write. This blog began as ‘Why I Write?’ and many of the older posts are explorations of answers to that question.
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<br />So getting a bit deeper than that, I think I’m interested in why we choose the mediums that we do. I see our choices as a complex mix of contemporary forces and personal expression. Screenwriting in particular is a modern phenomenon, and in that respect a desire to be a screenwriter strikes me as almost faddish. If we were in the 18th century, none of us would be screenwriters. Screenwriting appears to me to be the young popular medium that has overshadowed all others, at least in the circles I move in (novelists/playwrights/poets/comic book artists/graffiti artists/Hallmark card writers feel free to blow me out of the water...) So I look at my own embrace of screenwriting with a certain degree of distrust; do I do it just because it’s the popular choice, or for more intrinsic reasons?
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<br />Well, there’s certainly some things I enjoy about film as a medium (I’ll talk about film, rather than TV, which I have also written for, but I’ll try to keep this post under control by dealing just with film.)
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<br />Film is fast – stories tend to be less than two hours long. That encourages brevity, which actually plays to a key strength of mine; I’m too lazy to write long. And I admire brevity – I like condensing material to its essence. I’ve never forgotten Hix telling me about what he did with the earlier drafts of Hopeless before I came on board as a co-writer; he talked about how he combined multiple characters into single characters, giving the single characters the strengths of the multiple ones. I like that kind of work - boiling things down to create a headier brew. Film demands you do that because you don’t have time.
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<br />Film is a collaborative medium, and I like others to read my work and get behind it. Film requires that I get a team around me; and if I can get a team around me, that feels validating for the work I’ve created. One of the reasons I started writing screenplays was because others were doing it, and that meant that I could do it with them.
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<br />I do love watching films, though I don’t think a great film stands above reading a great novel for me in terms of enjoyment. There are plenty of films that are etched in my brain though; and so I do feel a debt of love for the medium. I want to excel within it because I know how great it can be.
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<br />And finally film is something I’ve had some success in, and I know something about how to write screenplays. That doesn’t answer why I started screenwriting, but it does go some way to answer why I continue in it.
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<br />There are downsides to screenwriting too: most commercially minded cinema no longer especially interests me so I have trouble picturing a place for myself in the industry; the collaborative nature of film-making has the downside (as well as advantage) of being dependent on others for success; film is expensive and the competition for funding is tough.
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<br />Other mediums interest me too: theatre and novel writing are both starting to whisper to me. But I’ll stick with screenwriting in the medium term at least; I know it and love it, and want to consolidate the lessons that I’ve learnt.
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<br />Plus I need to finish something – so it might as well be that screenplay I’m in the middle of (Run), and then that other screenplay I’m in the middle of (The Gap)… That should keep me going for a while.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-75667536935607746342009-08-30T18:45:00.003+12:002009-08-30T18:45:00.270+12:00Why I Write: To SurpriseThis post is about what I learnt about myself after getting through my Dip yesterday.<br /><br />But first I want to talk about what I used to do when I was nine*.<br /><br />When I was nine*, I spent my breaks at school in the classroom constructing a maze, that eventually grew to six full scrapbook pages. My maze was so devious that I spent one entire scrapbook page drawing a dead end. My reasoning was this - no one would believe that they could possibly be in a dead end. Who would believe that I had spent all that time and effort to simply lead them down a false trail? It would be too big a surprise for any of my nine year-old classmates to even fathom.<br /><br />(And so it proved - they all gave up on my maze. And having lost my audience, I gave up too.)<br /><br />After getting through my Dip, I realised yesterday that the same devious urge to surprise and mislead my audience still exists today inside me.<br /><br />I like writing because I like to surprise people. Writing for me is a way of presenting creative surprises, shocks, twists, and turns.<br /><br />A script for me is a vehicle for delivering those surprises to an audience. I'm willing to go to ridiculous effort, years of my life, in order to present something different, something which surprises and astounds.<br /><br />One of the reasons I struggle with scripts is because I often forget the surprises that are in them, given the huge amount of time it takes to finish. I have to apply this lesson to <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gap</span>, and remember the surprises that someone should get approaching the story fresh. And I need to keep projects going until they're made so I get to deliver those surprises.<br /><br />I can see now that this wish to surprise has been a key driver in my creative writing/paid work/humour/this blog/my approach to just about everything. And it's taken a Dip to see it...<br /><br /><br />* Approximate age onlySean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-61481632169531108652009-08-29T18:29:00.006+12:002009-08-29T21:40:43.677+12:00Why I Don't Write: The DipI got through a <a href="http://multi-dimensional.blogspot.com/2009/08/dip-when-you-should-quit.html">Dip</a> today.<br /><br />I was asking myself whether I should continue writing. Not whether I should quit writing <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gap</span> and write something else, but whether I should quit writing altogether.<br /><br />At the same time as I was going through the Dip, I knew that the Dip itself wasn't actually a bad thing. If I did decide to stop writing, then that would be the right decision for me. But if I didn't stop writing (which I have to admit in my heart of hearts seemed the far more likely scenario), then I would learn something important about myself.<br /><br />I didn't quit. I did learn something important about myself.<br /><br />My next post will be on what that was.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-40104240702347165632009-06-13T19:06:00.006+12:002009-06-13T19:25:17.225+12:00Looking Back<p>Given this blog has been around for a year now (Happy Birthday blog!), I thought it was time to look back and see if I’d learnt anything.<br /><br />Looking back over my previous posts I can see that:</p><ul><li>I’m more interested in questions than answers. The posts I find most interesting are the ones that explore <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2008/08/to-impress.html">inner conflicts</a>, <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-are-my-goals-as-writer.html">live issues</a>, and <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2009/04/watchmen-room-and-shared-experience.html">conflicting positions</a>, rather than the posts that try to provide the definitive answer to a problem.</li><li>I suffer from <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2008/07/to-get-it-perfect.html">perfectionism</a>. Just getting stuff done in a systematic and consistent fashion is helping to balance that out.</li><li>Writing is getting easier for me. It no longer tends to put me in a <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2008/06/to-recover.html">bad mood</a>. In fact, I’m more conscious of the ways it puts me in a good mood.</li><li>Some of <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2008/07/so-ill-be-able-to-write-my-other-ideas.html">my projects </a>have been put to bed (either permanently or temporarily). I’m now solely working on <em>The Gap</em>, and hope to work on <em>The Kingdoms</em> once that is done. I have no further plans, because I can sense how much time and effort I am going to put into <em>The Gap</em>. At the same time, I believe I will finish <em>The Gap</em> and get it made.</li><li>I drink ginger beer now rather than <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2008/06/for-pleasure.html">Coke</a>.</li></ul>Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-66929582988934716782009-06-01T21:46:00.003+12:002009-06-01T22:04:59.185+12:00How I Write: In the Flow (2)Today I've had one of the best days of writing I've ever had. Writing today was easy - a state of 'flow'.<br /><br />What I particularly liked about today's flow state was it felt like a natural space for me to be in. I woke up this morning and I knew that I wanted to write. And that's what I've done, calmly and methodically for the majority of the day. I'd take breaks and then I'd come back to the writing again - not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I didn't feel driven. I felt <em>right</em>.<br /><br />I've avoided the idea of writing as a full-time occupation for a number of years now, partly because I felt that I wouldn't be able to get the most out of my days, as I regularly find writing so hard that I <em>couldn't</em> spend most of the day doing it.<br /><br />If I was able to write like today on an ongoing basis - even an occasional ongoing basis - then that reason no longer stacks up.<br /><br />Because my flow state today was easy. It was effective. It was lasting. And it feels like it will be back.<br /><br />Here's hoping.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-33685666259624559142009-05-16T11:16:00.003+12:002009-05-17T09:52:46.085+12:00Why I Write: To Grow MyselfI’ve been realising recently that I really love growing myself, or helping others to grow.<br /><br />What do I mean by ‘growing myself’? I think it’s about deepening my understanding so I change the way I relate to others, my environment, and even myself.<br /><br />I love this process of progressively understanding something at a deeper level. For instance, I’m really enjoying working on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gap</span>, the script I’m writing. As my understanding of the script develops, the way I relate to it changes. I become more and more capable of writing it!<br /><br />(Plus <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gap</span> is all about people who are growing themselves. So in the process of writing <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gap,</span> I am growing myself by writing about people growing themselves...)<br /><br />This is also something I find hugely rewarding about my day job. I am encouraged to grow in my job and develop my thinking, and I’m also asked to coach other people to help develop themselves.<br /><br />I will not be tomorrow who I am today – though mostly it’s hard to tell any difference! I have trouble remembering how I’ve changed. Writing this blog is one way for me to remember who I used to be...Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-33496044145442437102009-05-13T08:59:00.000+12:002009-05-13T08:59:01.724+12:00Albion - Don Quixote<strong>Warning: Contains spoilers from a 400 year-old book.</strong><br /><br />I’ve recently finished reading <em>Don Quixote</em> by Miguel Cervantes. It’s amazing how a novel so old can seem so fresh. I guess that’s why they call it a classic.<br /><br />Anyway, the purpose of this post is to explore the similarities and differences between <em>Don Quixote</em> and my (as yet unwritten) <em>Albion</em> project.<br /><br />One of my concerns going into <em>Don Quixote</em> was that I’d find all the ground I wanted to cover in <em>Albion</em> had already been done. Luckily I’ve found these two are not covering the same ground at all. In fact, I think they’re from opposite sides of the planet.<br /><br /><em>Similarities</em><br /><br />Both stories are comedies about mad characters who embrace a chivalric identity – Don Quixote de la Mancha in <em>Don Quixote</em> and King Arthur in <em>Albion</em>. Both characters are so strong in their convictions that they are able to draw others into their madness: Don Quixote has his faithful squire, Sancho Panza; King Arthur has an entire town (and even a country in one iteration).<br /><br /><em>Differences<br /></em><br /><em>Don Quixote</em> is a sustained work of satire. The intention is always to lampoon notions of chivalry by exploding them against the real world. <em>Don Quixote</em> holds up our romantic notions and asks: do these hold up when you test them against the way the world really is? Or are we just making fools of ourselves?<br /><br />By the end of the novel, the romantic ideal of the pastoral life (a common theme at the time Cervantes was writing) is skewered in precisely the same way as the romantic ideal of chivalry. In <em>Don Quixote</em>, illusions mislead us into folly. Those follies are amusing for the reader, but are a warning against taking our illusions literally. <em>Don Quixote</em> is a comic novel with deeply serious intent.<br /><br /><em>Albion</em> is more forgiving of illusion – in fact, foolishness is more likely to arise from being unwilling to embrace illusion. <em>Albion</em> is dealing with a world in need of romanticism. The spreading madness of the King goes to the heart of that – chivalry in <em>Albion</em> is an idea whose time has come. Romanticism may not be enough, but it’s a needed step.<br /><br />And <em>Albion</em> isn't a satire. A comedy, but not a satire.<br /><br />So ultimately I feel <em>Don Quixote</em> and <em>Albion</em> are quite opposite in intent and approach. Which makes me feel better - I’m glad I’m not in competition with Cervantes!Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-52803247070451295802009-05-10T20:31:00.002+12:002009-05-10T21:10:46.533+12:00What are my goals as a writer?I came up with this question for discussion at our most recent <a href="http://www.nzwritersguild.org.nz/forum/">NZWG Wellington Writer’s Group</a>. Having set it, I then had to try and answer it!<br /><br />I came up with these answers:<br /><br /><em>In one year<br /></em><br />I want to have finished a first and second draft of The Gap (the script I’m working on), and started to assemble a project team that can actually get it made.<br /><br /><em>In five years</em><br /><br />I want to have a slate of projects with some level of funding attached, so I can reduce the level of non-writing work I have to do.<br /><br /><em>In ten years<br /></em><br />I want to be able to make a good living out of writing things that I want to write!<br /><br />Now that I’ve defined my goals, I want to think further about how to achieve those goals, and what the obstacles are.<br /><br />How about you? What are your goals? And do you find goal-setting useful?Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-47650582196557643512009-04-23T20:51:00.004+12:002009-04-23T21:18:32.218+12:00Watchmen, The Room, and the Shared ExperienceI’ve had the pleasure of seeing two films recently that I enjoyed very much, for wildly different reasons. What I want to focus on in this post is the audience response to these films: in one case, unusually divergent, in the other case, eerily similar.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/">Watchmen</a> has led to a lot of debate amongst <a href="http://birdswithnuts.blogspot.com/2009/03/break-from-life.html">people I know and fellow bloggers</a>. Opinion is definitely polarised – and in my opinion, more so than most films. People are responding to the same film in very different ways. I liked the sex scene set to 'Hallelujah' – for others, it’s the height of ludicrousness.<br /><br />Which brings me to the other extreme.<br /><br />On Monday, I had the pleasure of seeing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368226/">The Room</a> for the first time. If you enjoy 'bad movies', you have to see this film. Put simply, it’s the greatest 'bad movie' I have ever seen. The Room is so funny and <em>particular</em> that watching it was a sublime experience, and one I'm looking forward to repeating.<br /><br />And something I found particularly fascinating was that The Room manages to create a very similar shared experience across viewers.<br /><br /><a href="http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/movie-review-the-room/">The four of us</a> who saw it found it hilarious. We laughed at the same points – we made a number of ‘original’ wisecracks. Following up on the film the next day, we realised that most of our off-the-cuff observations were echoed across the Internet – sometimes down to nearly exactly the same line. What we found funny about the film was precisely the same stuff that the legion of Internet/LA fans find funny.<br /><br />As a result of this, The Room has actually built up a ritualistic set of audience responses in the same way as the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Self-styled <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/a-viewers-guide-to-the-room,25721/">super-fans</a> enjoy the shared experience of shouting lines (and spoons!) at the screen. It sounds like they get pretty much the same experience time and time again.<br /><br />It got me thinking about authorial intention in cinema.<br /><br />Is The Room a success for delivering such a consistent response, and Watchmen a failure because the audience responds so differently?<br /><br />Is the aim of screenwriting to get the audience to feel a certain way about your work? And do you fail as a screenwriter if the audience doesn't respond as you expected?Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-54442778158104897882009-04-11T12:17:00.003+12:002009-04-11T12:33:57.431+12:00Why I Write: For the Money (2)It’s hard to argue with the idea that screenwriters should be properly recompensed for their hard work, and that they should insist on decent writing rates and conditions. <br /><br />But equally it’s hard to argue with the screenwriter that is willing to work for free in order to ‘break into the industry’ or simply get their vision up on screen.<br /><br />I can see the virtue in both sides of this argument. So this is a debate where polarity management comes in useful; polarity management being the idea that apparently opposite sides of an argument can each have a good case to make, and the aim is to acknowledge and manage the debate rather than claim one side as the winner.<br /><br /><a href="http://wingedink.blogspot.com/">Helen</a> and I were talking about this yesterday, and we came up with a principle that I feel incorporates the two sides of the argument for me. It’s this:<br /><br /><em>If someone is going to make a profit out of your work, then you as the screenwriter should be making a profit as well.<br /></em><br />As screenwriters we don’t want to get ripped off. So it’s up to us to protect the investment that we’ve put into our work. And therefore to insist on decent writing rates and conditions.<br /><br />But the ‘if’ in the principle above is a big one. A lot of films aren’t really making money, so where is this profit we’re meant to be earning as a screenwriter going to come from? So even though we should protect ourselves, we should be realistic about the expected return.<br /><br />And sometimes that return won't be money - there are different kinds of 'profit'. As a screenwriter, you want to make sure that your input into the finished film is properly recognised, and therefore you're rewarded in that way.<br /><br />Something that further confuses the situation in the film industry is that it can often be hard to tell who’s making money and who isn’t. For those of you who haven’t seen it, <a href="http://multi-dimensional.blogspot.com/">Hix</a> has linked to a very good post about <a href="http://the-legion-of-decency.blogspot.com/2009/03/finding-new-monkies-to-work-for-monkey.html">Monkey Points</a>. The key idea: make sure you sure you’re in line for a percentage of the gross profit rather than net profit. You’ll probably never see another cent if you wait for the net profit to come through.<br /><br />Oh, and here’s a link to my <a href="http://seanmolloy.blogspot.com/2008/06/for-money.html">earlier post on writing for the money</a> as well.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-6814227364493200162009-03-21T18:11:00.004+13:002009-03-22T14:14:54.429+13:00Why I Write: To Share<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve realised that one reason I write is to share.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">As a concept, sharing goes a long way towards explaining why I write. (I’m not sure I need to explain why I write, but long-term readers of this blog will know that’s one of my interests!)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Sharing to me suggests that my script/film is an act of approaching the audience and saying:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">“Take a look at this. I think it’s interesting. If you think it’s interesting too, let’s explore it together.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Sharing implies a mutual process. As a writer, I need to be able to show why I am interested in my script. And I'm asking, not telling, an audience member to engage with the work.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">Sharing starts with the writer and an act of offering something up. But it’s not a solitary act.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’ve often heard writers say they write to communicate. I’ve said this myself, but never been entirely happy with the concept. </span><span lang="EN-NZ">‘Writing to communicate’ strikes a chord with me, but the chord doesn’t sound quite right – like there’s one note out of place.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">The thing is - writing to communicate sounds a little one way to me. Like I’m the only one with something to say, and everyone needs to shut up and listen to me. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I’m naturally uncomfortable holding the floor like that. I don't want to hold a megaphone and force the audience to listen to me. I don’t want that responsibility for starters!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-NZ">I prefer the idea of sharing. Offer something to the audience. See if they’re as interested as you are. And if they are, let them do some of the work as well…</span></p>Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-84753378036509413152009-03-12T08:02:00.004+13:002009-03-12T08:02:00.169+13:00How I Write: In The FlowOn Sunday, I found my writing flow. I thought I'd write down how I found it and what it is, partly as a reminder for myself for when I don't have it!<br /><br />First thing Sunday, I was working on The Gap but finding the process hard going. I wanted to be doing anything else, and found myself continually procrastinating. <br /><br />More than that - I realised I was stressed. <br /><br />I was stressed in exactly the same way I would be if I was at a dinner party where I wasn't enjoying myself, but was making an effort to look like I was having a great time.<br /><br />That realisation woke me up. Instead of being in touch with the writing, I was at a distance. And I was finding working like that was a draining experience. It was tiring me out!<br /><br />So I did something totally different. I wrote a dialogue between my two main characters.<br /><br />I let them talk about their issues, but in a very unreal way - something I'd never use in the finished script. I let them be my mouthpieces and just let them talk about what they were concerned about. Or rather, what I was interested in.<br /><br />What I was looking for was not to get to the heart of them, but to get to the heart of my interest in the script. The nugget, to throw back to an old idea.<br /><br />And I got into the flow. The writing wasn't hard anymore. It was rejuvenating actually. I wrote the first scenes for The Gap that I thought were actually good.<br /><br />I haven't been able to totally hold on to Sunday's flow experience. It hasn't taken permanently. However I have been able to get back to feelings similar to it. And I'm continuing to write stuff which I think is better. So I think Sunday has made a lasting impact on me.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-66000898965494296162009-03-08T18:31:00.004+13:002009-03-08T18:31:00.186+13:00How I Write: Maturing My Scripter SelfI've realised that I have at least two writing 'selves'.<br /><br />The first, which I'll call the Planner, is my more familiar self.<br /><br />In my Planner self, I'm figuring the script out from a distance - I don't want to get too close. I'm considering the questions of theme, of structure, of the purpose of a script. I come up with plot, characters, and situations, and can write a million and one notes (for the current script, 'The Gap', <a href="http://multi-dimensional.blogspot.com/">Hix</a> and I have put together a Foolscap File Box full of notes...) I can stay in this Planner self long enough to kill a script - to have written it to death in my head without actually having written it at all.<br /><br />The second self, which I've been experiencing again as I start to write 'The Gap', is my Scripter self. In this self, I'm actually writing, but in many ways I'm running scared. I'm usually just trying to blat it out. Thinking? Consideration? Who needs it? I just want to get the scene written as fast as possible and get it done.<br /><br />The Scripter self picks up directly from the point I left him, which happens to have been the moment I finished working on my previous script 'Run' last year. I use the same style, the same tone, the same voice for the characters... And I can sense my Planner frustration (what's happened to all that good work we were doing!!) with the results the Scripter self is firing out.<br /><br />I'm not suggesting that this differentiation of writing 'selves' is utterly unique to me - in fact I hope that other writers reading this post may be able to relate. But I am very conscious that in my case, I've spent a lot of time in my Planning self for the last ten years, and far less time in my Scripter self.<br /><br />Consequently I'm feeling that my Scripter self has a lot of maturing to do. I need to be able to loosen up and consider options while I'm actually writing. I want to be able to calmly think about the best ways to express character and the heart of the scene, rather than always going for the easiest course, just because I want to be done with it as fast as possible. If I want to be a professional writer, then I need to be a lot more comfortable in my Scripter self.<br /><br />I'm hoping that my Planner self can help my Scripter self, so that this maturing process doesn't take years! But it seems to me that getting more comfortable with my Scripter self is the most important thing I can be doing right now as a writer. So if it takes years, it takes years!<br /><br />Finally, I'm sure there's some things my Planner self can learn from my Scripter self too - like when to let go and just do it!Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-57499072607430695852009-03-01T18:14:00.004+13:002009-03-01T18:28:36.343+13:00How I Write: By AmbushYesterday I started writing 'The Gap'.<br /><br />I wasn't expecting to. Well, I knew I was heading in that general direction, but I knew that I wanted to write a step-by-step outline for the project first, and knowing me that would have taken at least a month...<br /><br />So I knew I wasn't ready. But then, all of a sudden, I was.<br /><br />I picked up my pen, grabbed the back of an old script (which is what I use for scrap-paper), and worked my way through my first scene. (Not a good first scene, but it'll get better). And past that first scene I can feel a whole reservoir of words.<br /><br />So, I've officially started writing 'The Gap'.<br /><br />Thinking about it today, I've realised that starting to write my last script 'Run' was exactly the same. I don't see the actual writing coming.<br /><br />I dawdle around the edge of the pool, afraid to dive in. And eventually there's a moment when I realise 'Hey, I could just leap in now'. So I dive in, swim around, and think 'There, that's not so bad'. And then I feel ashamed about the dawdling before taking the dive, and all that thinking work feels like procrastination...<br /><br />So either I have to sneak up on the script or the script has to sneak up on me.<br /><br />How about you? Does the writing take you by surprise?Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-46906947966699991532009-01-17T19:42:00.001+13:002009-01-17T19:45:12.129+13:00The Good, the Bad, and the Untruthfully UglyI’ve been interested in polarities lately – the key idea being that apparent opposite sides of an argument can each have a good case to make, hence the fact there’s a clash in the first place. I think polarities are rich for storytelling and expect I’ll talk more about my fascination with them in later posts.<br /><br />For this post, I want to focus on an element of storytelling that isn’t quite this type of polarity but is still based around opposites. My focus is this – that as a storyteller, I can tell a story about the ‘Good life’ through portraying the good, or through the total inverse, portraying the bad.<br /><br />I’m working on a science fiction movie called The Gap. A key aspect of this project is portraying the ‘Good life’ – as in a better way to live, which I admire – through the struggles of the two main characters. I want both of them to be heroes, by struggling their way through adversity and embodying virtues that I think are admirable.<br /><br />Pretty standard, right? But not the only way to talk about the ‘Good life’.<br /><br />Think about ‘Requiem for a Dream’ (spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t seen it). The characters in that story are terribly damaged by the end – perhaps not irrevocably – but still, as a friend of mine put it recently, in a state of suffering. It’s a traumatic movie, but I believe for good purpose. I believe the story is all about showing how bad life can get, and giving me (the viewer) a warning – this what life can be like. Avoid the abyss. Appreciate what I’ve got. In other words, value the Good life.<br /><br />I’m fascinated that both approaches are effective. How can a writer do two opposite things and yet achieve the same overall effect?<br /><br />I sense that a key concept at the heart of all this is authenticity. If a story is convincingly told, and rings with the truth, then I am encouraged to consider the relation of that story to my own life through the force of my engagement with it. Basically, if I care about the characters and believe in them, then I’ll compare their life to mine, and make my own moral judgements accordingly.<br /><br />If, on the other hand, the depiction is shallow or cliched (a Goody-Goody-Two-Shoes character who I neither like or believe in), then that work can turn me away in horror. I’ll recoil from the depiction, but hopefully not from my own moral values.<br /><br />Thinking about this has helped me articulate a problem I have with censorship. If a storyteller uses their work to challenge something repugnant by its truthful depiction (the rationalisations of Humbert Humbert in Lolita spring to mind), then the work should be celebrated for its moral effect rather than condemned or held up for censorship. Whereas a work that more falsely glamourised the actions of Humbert Humbert (simply by not ‘nailing’ the truth of the character) could be a nasty piece of work.<br /><br />It’s a risk we run as storytellers. We’d better get it right, or it can get ugly.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-3730213339413152672008-12-13T23:58:00.005+13:002008-12-14T00:06:14.246+13:00Albion - the 'Chekhov' versionINT. ERIC’S DINING ROOM - DAY<br /><br />ERIC finishes a letter at the table. There’s an untouched plate of toast beside him. His mood is morose, gloomy. He wears a dressing gown and tiger slippers.<br /><br />His wife GWEN runs in, adjusting her police uniform.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Gwen.<br /><br />Gwen kisses him quickly, dons her police cap.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Writing?<br /><br />ERIC<br />A little.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Read it later, honest.<br /><br />Gwen points at the toast next to Eric. Eric shrugs, passes her the toast. Gwen stuffs it in her mouth and bolts for the door.<br /><br />ERIC<br />I love you.<br /><br />Gwen turns, gives him a smile, goes.<br /><br />Eric signs the letter. He places it in an envelope, leaves the envelope propped up on the table. The envelope is titled “For Gwen”.<br /><br />EXT. ERIC’S HOUSE - DAY<br /><br />Eric wanders outside, still in his dressing gown and slippers. He stops by the letterbox, breathes in the fresh air and sunlight. A flicker of enjoyment.<br /><br />Eric notices the front door is still wide open. He glares at it. He reaches for it listlessly, he’s nowhere near.<br /><br />Eric shrugs, giving up. He strolls past the letterbox.<br /><br />EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY<br /><br />The shopping district of Stafford. Eric wanders along, attracting surprised looks from fellow pedestrians.<br /><br />A young mother JULIE drags her four year old son MAX across the street, away from Eric. Max stares at Eric in amazement. Eric waves at both of them.<br /><br />LANCE pulls up beside Eric in a beaten-up truck, which takes up most of the street. Lance hops out. Eric walks on, Lance beside him. There’s a honking noise.<br /><br />LANCE<br />Eric.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Lance.<br /><br />LANCE<br />How are you?<br /><br />ERIC<br />Fine.<br /><br />Lance doubts this. There’s another honk.<br /><br />LANCE<br />Haven’t seen you in a while -<br /><br />ERIC<br />(firmly)<br />I’m good.<br /><br />LANCE<br />(relieved)<br />Okay then. Later!<br /><br />Lance waves, rushes back to his truck. Eric smiles, shakes his head, walks on.<br /><br />EXT. BRIDGE - DAY<br /><br />Eric stands on the narrow railing of the town bridge.<br /><br />The river rushes below.<br /><br />Eric closes his eyes, prepares to jump.<br /><br />PETE (O.S)<br />Mind if I watch?<br /><br />Eric opens his eyes. An elderly man, PETE, leans against the railing beside him.<br /><br />ERIC<br />What?<br /><br />PETE<br />I’ve never seen anyone commit suicide before. (beat) That is what you’re doing, right?<br /><br />ERIC<br />Yes.<br /><br />PETE<br />Good.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Why is that good?<br /><br />PETE<br />I’m sure you’ve got your reasons.<br /><br />Pete waits. Eric hovers on the edge.<br /><br />Eric prepares to jump, but he’s too conscious of Pete.<br /><br />ERIC<br />(gesturing at Pete)<br />Do you mind?<br /><br />PETE<br />No, of course not.<br /><br />Pete takes a few steps back, continues staring intently.<br /><br />Eric tries again, gives up.<br /><br />Eric steps back off the railing. Pete’s disappointed.<br /><br />ERIC<br />I can’t.(beat) Not yet.<br /><br />PETE<br />Take your time.<br /><br />Pete passes Eric a bottle of bourbon.<br /><br />PETE<br />Help you get your courage up.<br /><br />Eric tries it, screws up his face.<br /> <br />PETE<br />Now, leaping off a bridge has got to be better than that.<br /><br />Eric nods.<br /><br />PETE<br />So what is it? Cancer?<br /><br />ERIC<br />No.<br /><br />PETE<br />Incest? Adultery?<br /><br />ERIC<br />I’m holding my wife back.<br /><br />PETE<br />You hate her.<br /><br />ERIC<br />I love her. But I’m a loser. I haven’t had a job for a year. I do nothing all day. I used to dream about writing, but I can’t. I’m useless.<br /><br />PETE<br />Alright then.<br /><br />ERIC<br />I can’t even kill myself.<br /><br />Eric is in despair. Pete puts his arm around him.<br /><br />PETE<br />Nonsense. You’re putting yourself down. You don’t believe in yourself.<br /><br />ERIC<br />I don’t. You’re right.<br /><br />PETE<br />And there’s your problem. The man I saw standing on top of that bridge knew the meaning of action. He was willing to look life in the eye and say stuff it.<br /><br />ERIC<br />True.<br /><br />PETE<br />Every decision you make is in your hands. You make the difference. Don’t worry about me or anyone else. Just do it.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Absolutely.<br /><br />Eric picks himself up.<br /><br />ERIC<br />What was I thinking? Thank you.<br /><br />Eric walks off. Pete watches him go, disappointed.<br /><br />PETE<br />Damn.<br /><br />EXT. ERIC’S HOUSE - DAY<br /><br />Eric whistles as he passes the letterbox.<br /><br />He pauses to enjoy the sunlight on his face.<br /><br />Eric strolls through the still-open front door.<br /><br />INT. ERIC’S DINING ROOM - DAY<br /><br />Eric ruefully observes the letter he left for Gwen. He reaches out to pick it up.<br /><br />There’s a SQUEAKING sound. Eric looks up.<br /><br />A heavy-set man, GRAYSON, watches Eric from the doorway to the lounge. Grayson hefts a mostly full rubbish bag in one hand, and carries a video under the other arm.<br /><br />Grayson drops the rubbish bag and places the video aside.<br /><br />Eric steps back, puts his arms out. He doesn’t want trouble.<br /><br />Grayson impassively walks toward Eric, slides by him. Eric cries out in pain. Grayson vanishes out the front door, pulling it shut behind him.<br /><br />Eric finds a knife protruding from his abdomen. He stares in it in disbelief.<br /><br />Eric stumbles for the phone, misses it. He falls to the ground.<br /><br />Silence. Beat. Beat. Beat.<br /><br />The sound of the front door being unlocked.<br /><br />Gwen saunters into the room, oblivious.<br /><br />She spots the letter on the table, opens it, begins to read. Her calm expression turns to horror.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Oh God!<br /><br />Gwen stumbles away from the table. She sees Eric lying on the ground with the knife sticking out of him.<br /><br />GWEN<br />(even more horrified)<br />Oh God!<br /><br />EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY<br /><br />An ambulance zooms through the busy street. Max stares at it in amazement.<br /><br />INT. SURGERY - DAY<br /><br />The hospital doctors rush to save Eric’s life.<br /><br />A nurse bustles Gwen out of the surgery room.<br /><br />GWEN<br />How is he?<br /><br />The nurse grimaces, shuts the door on Gwen’s face.<br /><br />EXT. GARDEN - DAY<br /><br />Eric walks out of darkness into a beautiful garden. In the centre of the garden is a pond. Gwen stands in this pond, dressed in flowing white lace.<br /><br />Gwen smiles, welcoming. Eric walks towards her.<br /><br />INT. SURGERY - DAY<br /><br />Eric’s heart monitor stops. The doctors struggle to resuscitate him.<br /><br />EXT. GARDEN - DAY<br /><br />Eric crosses the pond to reach Gwen. The water barely covers the tops of his shoes.<br /><br />As he reaches her, Gwen stretches out her arms and offers him a sparkling sword.<br /><br />Eric takes it from her hands, examines the blade.<br /><br />Abrupt cut to black.<br /><br />INT. SURGERY - DAY<br /><br />Eric’s heart monitor reveals life signs. The doctors congratulate each other.<br /><br />Fade out.<br /><br />INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY<br /><br />Gwen marches along the corridor in civilian clothes. She looks expectant, and carries a large book.<br /><br />INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY<br /><br />Gwen enters Eric’s hospital room. Eric is propped up in bed, and looks much recovered. He smiles at her.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Hi.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Hey.<br /><br />She kisses him. He returns the kiss with interest.<br /><br />ERIC<br />(spies the book)<br />You brought it.<br /><br />Gwen passes him the book, an illustrated tome on the adventures of King Arthur.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Yeah. Mind telling me why?<br /><br />Eric flicks through the book. He settles on a page.<br /><br />ERIC<br />(triumphant)<br />Ah. There it is.<br /><br />GWEN<br />What’s going on, Eric? You said you’d tell me once you got the book.<br /><br />Gwen sits beside him, takes his hand.<br /><br />GWEN<br />It’s like you’re hiding something.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Alright then.<br /><br />He shows her a picture in the book. The sword Excalibur being held aloft, sparkling.<br /><br />ERIC<br />It’s the one I saw.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Near death experiences produce -<br /><br />ERIC<br />It’s the same one, Gwen. That shows I was brought back for a reason.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Sure, for us.<br /><br />ERIC<br />Definitely. But more than that.<br />(reads from the book)<br />“The once and future king will return when the people need him.”<br /><br />GWEN<br />Who?<br /><br />ERIC<br />Your name’s Gwen. My best friend’s name is Lance. Lancelot.<br />(leans in)<br />I am King Arthur.<br /><br />INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY<br /><br />Gwen sits with her head in her hands.<br /><br />She’s tapped on the shoulder.<br /><br />Gwen looks up to see two plainclothes CIB cops, JARROD and MORGAN.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Oh. You.<br /><br />Jarrod and Morgan smirk at each other. Gwen stands.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Eric’s indisposed right now.<br /><br />JARROD<br />We’ll need to start on his case as soon as possible.<br /><br />MORGAN<br />Someone has to get some work done.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Well, let me know if it’s you.<br /><br />JARROD<br />Don’t get us wrong. It’s good that you’re here for Eric. Best place for a woman really.<br /><br />GWEN<br />What was that?<br /><br />JARROD<br />I said -<br /><br />Gwen cleanly punches him in the throat.<br /><br />INT. POLICE DISTRICT COMMANDER’S OFFICE - DAY<br /><br />WARREN, the older district commander watches Gwen play with a pen.<br /><br />Warren waits for her to speak. Gwen looks up at him. He smiles. She continues playing with the pen. Warren’s disappointed, is about to speak.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Yes?<br /><br />WARREN<br />(blurting it out)<br />I’m just worried things are getting on top of you in Stafford.<br /><br />GWEN<br />We’re fine.<br /><br />WARREN<br />Tell me what I can do to help.<br /><br />GWEN<br />How about another three sworn officers?<br /><br />WARREN<br />Yes, that’d be nice. But -<br /><br />GWEN<br />Alright, an admin assist?<br /><br />WARREN<br />That’d be nice too -<br /><br />GWEN<br />Can I keep the pen?<br /><br />WARREN<br />No.<br /><br />Gwen stands, prepares to leave.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Thanks for your help.<br /><br />WARREN<br />(frustrated)<br />Just keep that temper under control.<br /><br />GWEN<br />Is that an official reprimand?<br /><br />WARREN<br />Of course not -<br /><br />Gwen leaves, shuts the door. Warren fumes. He throws the pen against the closed door. The pen breaks. He fumes some more.<br /><br />.....<br /><br />(Sorry folks, that's as far as I got...)Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-17277905962610942462008-10-27T10:54:00.003+13:002008-10-27T11:00:01.956+13:00Albion - The ‘Meet the Parents’ versionTash and her girlfriend live in the big city together. The girlfriend (I can’t remember her name – let’s call her Megan) wants the two of them to get serious. The problem is, Tash has never introduced Megan to her family. In fact, she never talks about them. From where Megan is standing, this is a serious case of someone not wanting to come out of the closet.<br /><br />Megan lays an ultimatum on Tash – if they’re going to have a future together, Tash has to introduce Megan to the family. This is the day Tash has always dreaded, but not for the reasons Megan imagines.<br /><br />Tash is actually the daughter of the ‘famous’ King Arthur, a nut who has been causing a real stir in the small town of Savage. Tash is terribly embarrassed by her family, and just wants to disassociate herself as much as possible. Relieved that she was wrong, but recognising that there's still some stuff here to sort out, Megan persuades Tash to take her to meet the parents.<br /><br />Upon arrival, it’s very clear that the town of Savage is going weird. People are polarised between supporting ‘King Arthur’ and opposing him. All of them take him seriously, which is the weirdest thing of all as far as Tash and Megan are concerned.<br /><br />Tash introduces Megan to 'King Arthur' and 'Queen Guinevere'. She doesn’t introduce Megan as her girlfriend, re-igniting Megan’s annoyance at Tash’s avoidance. Megan also meets Sir Jeremy, a member of the inner circle of the Round Table and Tash’s old boyfriend from Savage College. All of Tash’s secrets are coming out…<br /><br />Where does it go from there? I’m not too sure, having to re-create this version from my memory. (It never got any further than the outlining stage…)<br /><br />The King approves of a union between Tash and Sir Jeremy, and he and Queen Guinevere are working to make that happen. Tash isn’t willing to tell her parents where she really stands, when leads to Tash and Megan fighting, which drives Tash towards Sir Jeremy – who is a pretty good guy.<br /><br />The main question of the script was whether the spell of King Arthur and Albion would fall on our two main characters, and whether Tash would get honest with her family, with Megan, and herself. It was really pitting honesty and modern day values against cultural expectations.<br /><br />Why did I abandon it and move on?<br /><br />I felt this version wasn’t quite right and there was something better out there for the idea. I also suspect I felt it was moving too far away from the original idea, and not focused enough on Arthur.<br /><br />Ironically, I was probably drawn towards this version because I felt it was difficult to draw Arthur’s psychology, and there was an appeal in keeping him at a distance. I think I’ll blog more about that tension about the distance at which to view Arthur in a later post.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-83533876010170766502008-10-06T06:08:00.001+13:002008-10-06T06:08:00.902+13:00Albion - the problems with tone (or "How funny is madness anyway?")One of the big problems I struggled with over <em>Albion</em> was tone.<br /><br />In fact, if there's one thing that differentiates the versions of <em>Albion</em> in my head, it's the different tone to all of them. That tone basically runs the continuum from comedy to drama, and all those colourful spots in between.<br /><br />The first version of <em>Albion</em> tried to mine comedy from the premise (using slapstick and a sense of the ridiculous), but was ultimately aiming to be an uplifting drama. The King himself summed up this attempt very well - he was a comic character initially, but still a man who could change the world.<br /><br />Other versions took different tacks to him and the concept. Is the King comic, dramatic, or comic-tragic? Is his madness serious, or humourous, or both?<br /><br />Trying to reconcile the tone between comedy and drama did take me down some fun roads.<br /><br />Anton Chekhov is my favourite writer for combining the comedic and the tragic, and walking the knife edge between those two emotions.<br /><br />One of my favourite versions of <em>Albion</em> (which I hope to post up in its entirety) was what I call my 'Chekhovian draft'. Basically I'd just read all five of Chekhov's major plays and was super-inspired by him. I rushed off the computer the next day and knocked off ten pages of script. The next day, the Chekhov inspiration wore off, and I abandoned the script.<br /><br />I don't know whether it captured that Chekhovian tone - you can judge for yourself - but I did really like what I'd written. And going back to it recently, as a part of researching for these blog posts, I found I still liked it. I didn't really see the Chekhov so much, but I did like what was there.<br /><br />So that was a cool experience!Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-17027955384585841342008-09-30T07:50:00.000+13:002008-09-30T07:50:01.083+13:00Albion – the first version (5 of 5)<p>Why did I move on so fundamentally from this first version?<br /><br />I realised that the script didn’t work. I knew it wasn’t working after I’d given it to at least one reader who gave a reasonably polite assessment, but really wasn’t enthused. I wanted her to love it, and her ‘ho-hum’ response was pretty telling.<br /><br />The concerns I think I had at the time:</p><ul><li>Questioning whether Albion really was a better place. I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that I was looking for Albion to truly be a better society, and what I’d presented here didn’t really seem to do it. There’s a scene where two ‘peasants’ are effectively arguing what the standard measurement for rope is, and the King has to make a decision… That didn’t really seem an improvement on our world.</li><li>The script is overlong and overwritten. It’s 123 pages long and not formatted like a normal script. It would probably be about 160 pages long if properly formatted. For non-screenwriters, that’s very long as the rule of thumb is one page equals one minute of screentime.) </li><li>There’s a lack of subtext. Everyone pretty much says what they mean.</li><li>The events were large-scale and felt unreal. In particular, the King taking over the entire country felt too big.</li><li>I realised that the characters needed more depth. </li></ul><p>My solution to these perceived problems was to throw the entire version out the window, and try to come up with a whole different approach to the story that solved them all.<br /><br />So there’s an insight into my personality!<br /> </p>Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-61978505737162253682008-09-27T07:45:00.000+12:002008-09-27T07:45:00.216+12:00Albion – the first version (4 of 5)So, the flaws of this version of the story...<br /><br />First, the story doesn’t take its characters seriously enough. The characterisation is slim. One of Tash’s only traits is that she always takes black coffee (after all she’s a reporter...) with three sugars. There’s a significant moment when Tash sides with Quillian when she rejects the sugar in her coffee - “I’m sick of sugar”!<br /><br />Bigger than this, the characters are lost inside the transformation of Eric. It becomes entirely unclear who some of these characters actually are after they’ve been influenced by Arthur. Not only do they begin talking like Arthurian characters, they seem to have lost their identity. Admittedly this is a relief in some of their cases - the behaviour of his family and Lance at the beginning of the story is so despicable that I feel the best thing Eric can do is get some distance on these people… Subliminating their personalities is one way to do that, I suppose.<br /><br />If I were to approach this story again, I would take the characters’ transformations as the basis of the story, and in particular the conflict of the Eric/Arthur identities.<br /><br />Second, there’s a strange structural note where a partial transformation takes place, then leading to a full case of madness and identity transformation. The partial transformation is effectively the end of the story – Eric has successfully integrated charisma and ‘magic’ into his everyday life. The rest of the story basically loops back to that point.<br /><br />I think I could improve this story structurally, and that's one of the things I'd be aiming to do.<br /><br />Third, the power of the King. The effect of King Arthur seems to be that people just love him, far in excess to anything particular we see him do onscreen. His effect needs to be justified more – why would normal people abandon their lives and change course so dramatically. The answer seems to be charisma – which ultimately isn’t the best of all answers! Charisma doesn’t feed your kids…<br /><br />I’m not so interested in portraying the perfect society now, but I am interested in exploring how the King is able to transform others. This would make for really interesting material if the transformation(s) felt truly motivated.<br /><br />I’ll end my analysis of the first version with my next post, asking why did I move on from this version?Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-490160462784364604.post-92031266912795205842008-09-24T07:42:00.002+12:002008-09-24T07:42:01.009+12:00Albion – the first version (3 of 5)Actually, weirdly and unexpectedly, I like this first version.<br /><br />The simplicity of the story is a joy. It knows what it’s going for, and it simply goes for it. Recently I’ve been exploring breaking a story down to sequences (with Hix funnily enough). Breaking this story down to its sequences is very revealing.<br /><br />Looking back over this draft, its hardly surprising that when I think of Albion, I usually think of this version, and not just because it was the first. I feel like picking up this draft again and seeing what I can do with given the benefits of distance and 11 years experience.<br /><br />I like its build. I like the sweep of the story – it feels epic. I like the movement from disregard to respect on the part of the family and other characters. I like the rejection of Eric by this new personality of Arthur. I like the idea of the ultimatum from the outside world, and the King turning it back on the outside world. I like the march to Parliament.<br /><br />I was coming back to this draft as a point to measure progress from. I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I liked it, and how much I was willing to forgive its flaws.<br /><br />And its flaws are pretty significant.Sean_Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959217341037106198noreply@blogger.com0